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Adèle & Simon #2
Adele & Simon in America
Japanese edition of Adele & Simon in America. Adele tells her younger brother Simon not to lose anything, which he does anyway. The fantastic images set this childrens book apart, depicting early-20th-century America with beautiful, fantastic images that ooze old world charm. In Japanese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
34 pages, JP Oversized
First published August 5, 2008
3 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Barbara McClintock
59 books90 followersBarbara McClintock is the author and illustrator of books for children.
Her books have won 4 New York Times Best Books awards, a New York Times Notable Book citation, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor award, numerous other awards, recommended/best book lists, and starred reviews. Her books have been made into children's videos, a ballet/opera, and a recorded books on tape.
Barbara drew constantly as a child. By the time she was seven, she knew she would be an artist when she grew up. Her older sister recommended she be a childrens' book illustrator, and this proved to be a rare instance when she followed her sister's advice. Barbara also wanted to be a cat when she grew up, and is glad she had art as a back up plan.
The first part of Barbara's growing up was in Clinton, NJ. Her early influences were her photographer father, seamstress/teacher mother, and the cartoon character Top Cat.
Barbara moved to North Dakota when she was 9 with her mother and sister after her parents divorced. She continued to draw through middle and high school, frequently in the margins of her tests and homework.
Barbara attended Jamestown College in North Dakota, where she refined her drawing skills by copying pictures in artbooks she checked out of her college library.
Two weeks after her 20th birthday, Barbara moved to New York City to begin her career on the recommendation of Maurice Sendak, whon she called from North Dakota for advice about how to become a children's book illustrator.
Barbara studied for two months at the Art Student's League in New York City. She continued to copy from art books she checked out of libraries, and sketched paintings and drawings in museums in New York City. Barbara is essentially self-taught as an artist/illustrator.
After illustrating books written by other authors, Barbara began writing as well as producing the artwork for her own books.
She currently lives in rural Connectucut with the illustrator David A. Johnson, their cats Pip and Emma, and David's truly gorgeous rose garden.
Her books have won 4 New York Times Best Books awards, a New York Times Notable Book citation, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor award, numerous other awards, recommended/best book lists, and starred reviews. Her books have been made into children's videos, a ballet/opera, and a recorded books on tape.
Barbara drew constantly as a child. By the time she was seven, she knew she would be an artist when she grew up. Her older sister recommended she be a childrens' book illustrator, and this proved to be a rare instance when she followed her sister's advice. Barbara also wanted to be a cat when she grew up, and is glad she had art as a back up plan.
The first part of Barbara's growing up was in Clinton, NJ. Her early influences were her photographer father, seamstress/teacher mother, and the cartoon character Top Cat.
Barbara moved to North Dakota when she was 9 with her mother and sister after her parents divorced. She continued to draw through middle and high school, frequently in the margins of her tests and homework.
Barbara attended Jamestown College in North Dakota, where she refined her drawing skills by copying pictures in artbooks she checked out of her college library.
Two weeks after her 20th birthday, Barbara moved to New York City to begin her career on the recommendation of Maurice Sendak, whon she called from North Dakota for advice about how to become a children's book illustrator.
Barbara studied for two months at the Art Student's League in New York City. She continued to copy from art books she checked out of libraries, and sketched paintings and drawings in museums in New York City. Barbara is essentially self-taught as an artist/illustrator.
After illustrating books written by other authors, Barbara began writing as well as producing the artwork for her own books.
She currently lives in rural Connectucut with the illustrator David A. Johnson, their cats Pip and Emma, and David's truly gorgeous rose garden.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
February 21, 2009
Gotta love Adele and Simon and their awesome aunt who takes them on a trip around the USA!!! The pictures have so much detail and reading the end notes with the facts about the places they visit gave me even more appreciation--McClintock includes not only famous landmarks, but famous people of the day, like having Teddy Roosevelt and his family (including the numerous pets!) look on in DC, or Edith Wharton and WEB DuBois help Simon search for his journal in Grand Central Station.
February 26, 2009
Another fun addition to the Adele and Simon books! For me the book looses a little of it's charm because it isn't set in Paris. That said, it is quite fun to see the various states the siblings travel to, and it's even more fun since it all takes place in a former era.
There's multiple things that Simon looses along the way, each one hidden in the delightful illustrations. Yet the great thing about these books is that there is just that tiny bit more to them than just a hunt-and-find picture book, there's a little heart, a little story, and little message. Nothing truly astounding, but lovely all the same.
There's multiple things that Simon looses along the way, each one hidden in the delightful illustrations. Yet the great thing about these books is that there is just that tiny bit more to them than just a hunt-and-find picture book, there's a little heart, a little story, and little message. Nothing truly astounding, but lovely all the same.
January 4, 2020
Parisian siblings Adèle and Simon visit America in this second picture-book devoted to their adventures, traveling around the country with their Aunt Cécile. At each stop they experience something new and exciting, from shopping in San Francisco's Chinatown to boarding a Mississippi steamboat in St. Louis. And of course, at each stop Simon manages to lose some new item of clothing or equipment, leading older sister Adèle to fret and scold. Luckily, just as in the first title, his belongings seem to always find their way home...
Read directly after the original Adèle & Simon , Adèle & Simon in America didn't quite live up to its predecessor, in my view. McClintock's pen-and-ink drawings, enhanced by watercolors, are as charming as ever, and the fun of picking out Simon's lost articles hasn't diminished, but the travelogue aspect of the tale was less satisfying. In the first title, the reader gets a real sense (realistic or not) of Paris, but here the narrative rushes so rapidly from city to city that it becomes a blur of different impressions, rather than a tribute to a particular place. It would have been a stronger book if McClintock had confined herself to one American city, whether it be New York or Chicago. Still, fans of the first book will undoubtedly enjoy this second title, and look forward to a possible third.
Read directly after the original Adèle & Simon , Adèle & Simon in America didn't quite live up to its predecessor, in my view. McClintock's pen-and-ink drawings, enhanced by watercolors, are as charming as ever, and the fun of picking out Simon's lost articles hasn't diminished, but the travelogue aspect of the tale was less satisfying. In the first title, the reader gets a real sense (realistic or not) of Paris, but here the narrative rushes so rapidly from city to city that it becomes a blur of different impressions, rather than a tribute to a particular place. It would have been a stronger book if McClintock had confined herself to one American city, whether it be New York or Chicago. Still, fans of the first book will undoubtedly enjoy this second title, and look forward to a possible third.
October 2, 2009
This is an excellent and entertaining (and educational) picture book for children.
I read this immediately after reading Adèle & Simon, which takes place in early twentieth century Paris. This book has the siblings, along with their aunt, traveling on a cross-country train trip of early twentieth century America. I hope that there will be many of these Adèle & Simon books, as I’d like to see this duo travel the world.
The illustrations in this book aren’t quite as intricate as the first, but they’re still very detailed and interesting and fun to peruse. I love the picture that includes the ducks in Boston, and many others too.
This is a terrific sibling story, and the younger of the two loses many of his possessions along the way (as he did in Paris in the first book) and his unperturbed attitude about his carelessness is part of the fun. Also enjoyable is searching for all of Simon’s lost items; there’s one on every page in the book, and they’re not overly easy to spot; it’s a genuine challenge. The ending of the story is very satisfying.
At the end of the book, each accompanied by an illustration, all the places visited have a blurb with early and more recent American history tidbits: landmarks, literary, maritime, nature related, art, cultural, famous Americans, etc.
The places the trio visit are New York City, Boston, Chicago, Cooperstown, Cape Disappointment, San Francisco, Denver, Santa Fe, Lubbock, New Orleans, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. Unlike Paris, I’ve been to half of these places and it was fun to see them in their earlier but familiar incarnations. There’s a map of the U.S. with these locations marked on the inside covers of the book.
I read this immediately after reading Adèle & Simon, which takes place in early twentieth century Paris. This book has the siblings, along with their aunt, traveling on a cross-country train trip of early twentieth century America. I hope that there will be many of these Adèle & Simon books, as I’d like to see this duo travel the world.
The illustrations in this book aren’t quite as intricate as the first, but they’re still very detailed and interesting and fun to peruse. I love the picture that includes the ducks in Boston, and many others too.
This is a terrific sibling story, and the younger of the two loses many of his possessions along the way (as he did in Paris in the first book) and his unperturbed attitude about his carelessness is part of the fun. Also enjoyable is searching for all of Simon’s lost items; there’s one on every page in the book, and they’re not overly easy to spot; it’s a genuine challenge. The ending of the story is very satisfying.
At the end of the book, each accompanied by an illustration, all the places visited have a blurb with early and more recent American history tidbits: landmarks, literary, maritime, nature related, art, cultural, famous Americans, etc.
The places the trio visit are New York City, Boston, Chicago, Cooperstown, Cape Disappointment, San Francisco, Denver, Santa Fe, Lubbock, New Orleans, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. Unlike Paris, I’ve been to half of these places and it was fun to see them in their earlier but familiar incarnations. There’s a map of the U.S. with these locations marked on the inside covers of the book.
March 15, 2017
Seemed more contrived than the first Adèle and Simon, but still nice.
Definitely felt like it was written by a tourist rather than a person who really knew the areas.
Definitely felt like it was written by a tourist rather than a person who really knew the areas.
September 12, 2015
I found this too scattered with a new location every page. It didn't have as natural a feel of the first book. The explanatory appendix seemed crammed as a result.
The hidden objects were easy to find.
The hidden objects were easy to find.
October 21, 2021
3.5 stars & 4/10 hearts. Although I like book 1 more, I can’t put my finger on why. Perhaps simply because it’s in Paris. I don’t know. I did find Adèle was more impatient than before to Simon. However, the illustrations were as lovely as always and we enjoyed hunting for the items.
April 14, 2018
Adele and Simon are from Paris and come to America to visit their aunt. She surprises them with a trip around the country. Simon has a knack for loosing things - can you find what he lost on that page?
Beautiful sceneries of turn-of-the-century America on every page.
Ages: 4 - 8
#geography #northamerica #unitedstates
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
Beautiful sceneries of turn-of-the-century America on every page.
Ages: 4 - 8
#geography #northamerica #unitedstates
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
March 15, 2019
Appealing to both aesthetic and nostalgia, Adele and Simon relays the story of two French siblings touring across America. Yet as they travel further west, Simon loses more and more of his things. By the end, Adele is exasperated and Simon has fewer items than what he started with--until he gets packages from all over the States containing his things! With delicate artwork and a nice, repetitive storyline, McClintock's book makes for a great book about traveling in a different time. Perfect for grades 2-4.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
August 16, 2022
I like the illustrations and the variety of scenes as well as the end pages with rail routes. Informative page at the end with a little more info about the locations. Some of Simon's items are actually hard to find as an adult. My biggest thing is it doesn't make sense for Simon to more or less carry upon his person so many items (so he can lose them and facilitate the story) when his sister doesn't do likewise. It doesn't make sense for her to get upset with him for always losing things when I don't think he should be carrying it all each time in the first place. The Aunt's foresight was brilliant and led to a fun ending regarding the lost items.
August 24, 2018
Another excellent book in this series, combining history, travel, beautiful illustrations and a seek-and-find element. This book is quite similar to the first book in the series, Adele and Simon. Set in the early 1900s, as the two children make their way around the US with their aunt, Simon loses an item for the reader to find in each location. The author has include$ many historic figures in the drawings, ranging from Mark Twain and Edith Wharton to Teddy Roosevelt and his family. A map on the endpapers traces their route, and brief history of each location is given in an appendix.
July 24, 2019
Adele and Simon come to NYC from Paris to visit their Aunt Cecile. Aunt Cecile takes the kids on a trip around America. In every city they visit, Simon loses something... his binoculars, map, cowboy hat, and more. It's a good thing Aunt Cecile put his name and address on all of his things, because when they return from their trip Simon has packages waiting for him from every city they visited. There is interesting back matter about the details of each illustration with facts about the cities and the activities in each.
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January 9, 2020Not rating, as these are just not to my taste. But respect for the history and geography lessons, and the exercise in slowing down and paying attention to detail. Adele is a bit exasperating in this one, because there's an adult chaperone who has sewn Simon's name & address onto all his accessories, so Adele should just be free to enjoy herself instead of fretting. Also, I discovered a tip for finding the hidden objects... .
March 1, 2017
This book was fun but more predictable than the first.
July 7, 2017
Lovely illustrations, but the text was predictable and too long for most kids to sit through.
October 11, 2017
The story is about two children who tour America with their aunt. The boy, Simon, loses things in every city they stop. The book is a type of search-and-find. But the items to be found are tiny!
September 25, 2018
Read-aloud with my 9 and 7 year old. They loved searching for the missing objects and looking up where they where on our US map. Great supplement for learning US geography.
February 21, 2019
A very cute book with detailed landscape drawings.
April 25, 2019
The text is a bit long to hold a child's attention, but my daughter loves the seek-and-find aspect of these books.
October 15, 2019
Good seek and find book. It's also a good opportunity to review US geography and the historical
January 14, 2021
The first one was better.
August 19, 2022
Super cute book loved the historical part
April 14, 2023
We love the first book in the series (in Paris) and equally loved this one. Elliot loves books with hidden items to find. And I enjoyed all the locations they visited
April 10, 2024
Judson adores this book and so do I, because the illustrations are absolutely spectacular.
August 30, 2024
A find and seek book with a historical and geographical element. I loved it and so did my daughter.
March 11, 2016
Adele and Simon in America, written by Barbara McClintock, is a picture book that can be considered an example of historical fiction because it incorporates historically accurate elements but also fictional aspects such as characters. In this story, we are introduced to two siblings named Adele and Simon. Adele and Simon’s aunt, Aunt Cecile, takes them on a trip throughout America. As the group travels to places around America, (such as Boston, North Dakota, San Francisco, etc.) Simon loses items that belong to him. Cecile becomes annoyed at her forgetful brother but they continue their trip without stopping. Simon isn’t worried. The children admire, learn, and enjoy their trip and they eventually go home to find a surprise waiting for Simon. At the end of the picture book, the author provides a list of the fourteen locations that they visited. This list provides a picture and a description that incorporates some facts and significances about the locations.
The illustrator of Adele and Simon in America, is also Barbara McClintock. The illustrations are key to this story because they depict where the story is taking place along with the approximate era. The illustrations are made with pen, ink and watercolors which make them quite colorful. The illustrations are also very detailed and more lifelike than cartoon. All the illustrations are among the most detailed I have seen and are bordered by white edges. All the text is set on the bottom of the page except for the first and last page where the text is lengthier and requires one entire page along with one entire page of illustrations.
Overall, I could say I did enjoy this book. It was a bit lengthy but filled with so much information that was transmitted through great illustrations. I especially enjoyed how the author incorporated facts and information about all the places mentioned in the book which makes the story even more believable even though it is fictional. I would definitely recommend this picture book to others.
The illustrator of Adele and Simon in America, is also Barbara McClintock. The illustrations are key to this story because they depict where the story is taking place along with the approximate era. The illustrations are made with pen, ink and watercolors which make them quite colorful. The illustrations are also very detailed and more lifelike than cartoon. All the illustrations are among the most detailed I have seen and are bordered by white edges. All the text is set on the bottom of the page except for the first and last page where the text is lengthier and requires one entire page along with one entire page of illustrations.
Overall, I could say I did enjoy this book. It was a bit lengthy but filled with so much information that was transmitted through great illustrations. I especially enjoyed how the author incorporated facts and information about all the places mentioned in the book which makes the story even more believable even though it is fictional. I would definitely recommend this picture book to others.
November 4, 2010
Adele & Simon visit their Aunt Cecile in New York City. They take a train trip across America from Boston to San Francisco. They even make it back to Washington D.C. Along the way they visit different historical landmarks. Simon loses something at every stop even though his sister Adele keeps reminding him to keep better track of his personal things. You the reader can spot the object he loses on the page. Aunt Cecile knew Simon would have trouble so she wrote his name and address on all of his things. When they get back home all of his things are there because the people who found them were nice enough to mail them to him.
This book has a couple of lessons. One it to be responsible for your things. Some people are nice and will return the things they find but not everyone. The other lessons were about historical places in America. Even though there is a story it also teaches about these historical sites. I found it very enjoyable as it is not like other look and find books because it actually has a good story along with the pictures.
This book has a couple of lessons. One it to be responsible for your things. Some people are nice and will return the things they find but not everyone. The other lessons were about historical places in America. Even though there is a story it also teaches about these historical sites. I found it very enjoyable as it is not like other look and find books because it actually has a good story along with the pictures.
January 30, 2021
Adèle and Simon are visiting their Aunt Cécile in New York City. The three are packing for a train trip across America to see the sights. Just like the first book about the siblings, Adèle tells Simon not to lose anything. You can imagine what happens next. The family travels across the country feeding the ducks in Boston, the Rocky Mountains, a Texas ranch, and many other places. My personal favorite part was when they visited New Orleans and with the "sounds of people speaking French...Adèle and Simon felt right at home." Just like the first book, there's lots to look at the in detailed vintage looking illustrations. Also look at the endpapers - they're a facsimile of an old-fashioned map of the USA. Another enjoyable book about Adèle and Simon!
January 24, 2025
These beautifully illustrated books trace a brother and sister as they travel across early 20th century America. As they travel, the brother (Simon) leaves a trail of lost belongings. For observant readers, not only does the author hide his missing belongings in the illustrations but also other cultural icons. The fun is in the discovery, so I won't give them away. The final pages describe the additional figures if you can't find them. We've enjoyed all three in the series.
Updated post: 1/24/25. This book kept a squirrely group of 6-9 yos quiet after a craft was finished faster than expected in our co-op class. Eight years later, this book still does not disappoint. I've purchased my own copy since the library probably won't let me keep it until I have grandchildren.
Updated post: 1/24/25. This book kept a squirrely group of 6-9 yos quiet after a craft was finished faster than expected in our co-op class. Eight years later, this book still does not disappoint. I've purchased my own copy since the library probably won't let me keep it until I have grandchildren.
July 22, 2020
My daughter and I loved the first Adele & Simon and I was excited to share this one with her. But as other reviewers have said, it doesn't hold up. It feels predictable and rushed and doesn't give you a great sense of place in the same way as the first. Also the lost objects are much harder to find!
I felt somewhat ill at ease with the portrayal of the people living in Chinatown, although reading that it was based on photos from the time I suppose it was ok. But I guess it just felt like this book furthered a sort of stereotypical and surface level exploration of the US, like "over here there are Chinese people, over here there are Black people, here are cowboys, here are steam boats" I think the concept is much more effective when applied to a single City
I felt somewhat ill at ease with the portrayal of the people living in Chinatown, although reading that it was based on photos from the time I suppose it was ok. But I guess it just felt like this book furthered a sort of stereotypical and surface level exploration of the US, like "over here there are Chinese people, over here there are Black people, here are cowboys, here are steam boats" I think the concept is much more effective when applied to a single City
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews